1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a facsimile apparatus and more particularly, to a storage type facsimile transmitter or receiver which is capable of storing an image information to a storage unit.
2. Description of the Related Art
The convential storage type facsimile apparatus has not only functions of transmitting an image information of an original document, and for receiving and printing on the received image on a recording paper, but also has confidential transmission or memory reception functions. The memory reception function enables the received image to be once stored in a storage unit such as a hard disk drive or a semiconductor memory. The confidential transmission function activates to transmit a confidential document (image information) with an addressee designated in such a manner that only a person authorized as the addressee at the receiver side can extract the document (image information) from the storage unit and can conform it on a display screen or print out the information on recording paper.
When the facsimile apparatus can be connected to an information processor such as a computer or an electronic device, the facsimile apparatus may have its own facsimile mail box of each individual for the received image to be stored therein. In the case of such a facsimile apparatus, the due receiver of the received image can confirm or print out the contents of his or her facsimile mail box by directly manipulating the information processor having the facsimile reception function.
However, during facsimile transmission operation, there may sometimes occur such a situation that a wrong image is transmitted due to operator's mistake. Further, after a document has been transmitted carelessly in haste, there may sometimes occur a situation where the sender notices a wrong addressee name or a wrong unit in the product quotation or estimate price by confirming the original document already transmitted. In such a case, the sender may phone the receiver as the party designation to cancel the received contents, but in the absence of the party, it becomes impossible. Further, it may sometimes be practically impossible to involve such party's troublesome labor. Such a situation may also be considered that it is practically impossible to ask the receiver not to read the contents of the received information and the information contents may lead to a problem.
On the other hand, in an integrated office computer system made up of workstations or office processors, electronic mail can be transmitted between these workstations or office processors. For example, the integrated office computer system as disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 3-235552 is designed so that even after a send mail is already transmitted to a receiver side, the send mail can be canceled so long as the transmitted mail is not read out yet by an operator of the receiver side. A similar technique in the electronic mail field is also disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 5-227201.
In the facsimile communication field, however, since the printing of an image or document is usually carried out concurrently with the reception of a document, it has been impossible to cancel the such transmitted contents. In the facsimile communication field, further, since communication is carried out based on a predetermined facsimile communication protocol, it has been impossible to cancel the transmitted contents for this reason, unlike the electronic mail case.
Furthermore, in the prior art facsimile apparatus, when confidential transmission in particular is carried out, there may occur such a situation that the received image information remains in its storage unit for a long time without being extracted by the due addressee. For this reason, it has been necessary for the sender to telephone the due addressee each time to confirm the fact that the addressee has printed out and checked the document. Accordingly, the due addressee, whenever asked to confirm it by telephone, he or she has had to troublesomely respond to it in an on-target manner.